May 31/04 8:20 am - Registration Opens for Pro Walk/Pro Bike Victoria

Posted by Editoress on 05/31/04

Registration Opens for Pro Walk/Pro Bike Victoria 2004

Registration is open for Pro Walk  Pro Bike at the Victoria Conference Centre (September 7-10) through the National Centre for Bicycling and Walking in Washington, DC. Registration links can be found through the Capital Bike and Walk Society (CBWS) website at: www.capitalbikeandwalk.org

Complete program details selected from the 300 proposals submitted will be up on the NCBW site shortly. www.bikewalk.org

Delegate fees are $500 (U.S.) for the main conference. Pro Walk  Pro Bike presenters are discounted to $400 (U.S.). 25 delegate positions at $350 (U.S.) are available to Canadian advocates in cycling and walking. Application for the discount should be made to Capital Bike and Walk (johnluton@shaw.ca). Interested community leaders should apply soon to ensure early registration discounts apply.

Additional workshops and events attached to the conference run from September 3 through 13. Registrations will be linked to the Capital Bike and Walk website.

CBWS will organize optional free walks and rides in Victoria for the duration of the conference and is working with local map designers to provide routes, plus information for cyclists traveling to the Victoria conference by air or ferry.

Workshops include:

 Victorias Bike to Workshop on their successful program for recruiting new cyclists. Bike to Work Week is celebrating 10 years and the highest rate of commuter cycling of any major city in North America. Bike to Workshop will also travel to Kelowna later in the fall. www.biketoworkvictoria.ca

 Velo Quebec will host a workshop on their Technical Manual of Bikeway Design. Velo Quebec  are leaders in the establishment of La Route Verte, a 3,000 km network of road and trail  facilities supporting a $95 million a year cycle tourism industry. Day-long workshops will be  held in Victoria (Sept. 7) and Vancouver (Sept. 14). Registration will be $200 (Cdn).www.velo.qc.ca

 The Vancouver Island Cycle Tourism Alliance invites business and community leaders to  seminars on opportunities in active travel. Delegates will have an option to ride the capital regions Galloping Goose trail with the Capital Regional District Parks, managers of the off-road network. A salmon barbecue at the Sooke Museum and an invitation to overnight in local B&Bs will be waiting for those attending. www.cyclevancouverisland.ca

Canadian delegates will meet in a special session to discuss new funding for cities.

The Canadian caucus will hear from Bill Wilkinson, Executive Director at the National Center for Bicycling and Walking in Washington, DC. Wilkinson will give a history of transportation equity legislation that is building walking and cycling infrastructure across the country with support from federal gas taxes in the U.S.

Canadian delegates will come from Go for Green, the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada (BTAC), active living professionals in health and recreation, and community leaders in cycling and walking organizations from across Canada.

Delegates will also share strategies on building partnerships between advocates and industry, study models of successful programs for promoting participation, and look at best practices in designing transportation systems to support cycling and walking.

BC Ferries is hosting a design competition to equip their fleet with new bike racks. Norco Performance Bicycles, western Canadas biggest manufacturer and distributor, and bceh.com, an on-line travel guide, are co-sponsoring. Successful designs will be launched at the conference. www.bcferries.com, www.norco.com, www.bceh.com

Victorias Airport Authority is planning new bike lanes and an assembly station at the terminal to serve cycling visitors.

Local infrastructure projects will see improvements to the Lochside trail connecting Victoria with the airport and major ferry terminals. Victoria and Saanich will complete new on and off-road projects to improve the level of service for local and touring cyclists.

The Thunderhead Alliance of state and local cycling advocacy organizations in the U.S. will hold a retreat north of Victoria, Sept. 4-7. www.thunderheadalliance.org